Darling in the Franxx: Reactivation
by Mastergaric
Summary: Hiyatsu had always enjoyed her life in the city with her parents. Bust she always felt like she wanted to escape and do something significant with her life. One night she has a dream that will change the course of her life forever.
1. Beginnings

A/N: Hello Everyone and welcome to the story. So I am updating the formatting and trying to clean up some errors I have found. I will come back in periodically to make sure that things are all good.

* * *

The summer breeze filled the room as Hiyatsu opened her bedroom window. She took a deep breath in, the smell of rain still hung in the air from the storm the night before. The dew hung on the grass creating a shimmering light; between the slight breeze and the morning dew, the field next to her house looked like the ocean.

"Haven't even gone yet," she sighed. "I wonder how many more days like this we will have before school starts. I should probably get out and enjoy it while I can." She continued to stare out the window and her attention shifted to the city that surrounded her. The buildings were dull and the streets uniform, she never particularly liked the city but compared to the way the field looked today it was even more dreary than usual.

"I really want to get out of this place."

This was a thought that she would have on days when she felt trapped in one place. She never could explain why she felt like she needed to walk freely on the earth but it was there. Hiyatsu sighed and turned from the window. She walked towards her closet and saw that the doors hung open and the contents were spilling onto her bedroom floor. She kicked some of the laundry into a back corner and tried to close the closet door.

"Mom'll kill me if she sees that the room is this messy again," she thought. She looked at her room which was in disarray. She had clothes thrown over her chair and desk. There were books piled next to her bed and for some reason, she had a shovel propped up in the corner. She turned her attention back to the window, the morning made everything feel refreshed and lively as if to ease her into getting ready for the day.

"All I want is more time to relax, is that too much to ask?" She wandered back to her bed trying to decide what she would do with her remaining days of summer.

"Not if you are going to mope around all morning."

Hiyatsu looked over and saw the bright pink hair of her mother peeking around the door frame. She stepped into Hiyatsu's room wearing a red apron and had her hair pulled up in a ponytail. Her mother often would wear this on the weekends right before doing housework. Hiyatsu knew that staying at home today would eventually lead to a chore list, she made up her mind that she would need to get out of the house early.

As Hiyatsu planned for her escape she was reminded of her mother's pink hair and that she had inherited more of her father's hair color than her mothers and this upset her. "What do you want now Mom? You don't already have chores for me do you?" Hiyatsu asked, hoping to avoid work.

"I just came in to let you know that if you want food to hurry up and get downstairs," her mother replied. She flashed Hiyatsu a smile and continued "Maybe I should make you clean your room first?"

Hiyatsu stared at her mother, "I'll do it later I promise."

Her mother eyed her "You said that last week, please just take care of it before tonight."

Hiyatsu said, "as long as that's all I have to do, I may consider it."

Her mother feigned clutching her heart, "I never thought it would come to this, my sweet little girl is talking back to me," she laughed. "In any case, your breakfast is ready and waiting." Hiyatsu smiled and laughed to herself; her mom was strange but she had always been that way.

From down the hall, Hiyatsu heard her father call out "Zero-Two, I thought we talked about this." Her mother straightened up with a jump and gave Hiyatsu a sheepish grin.

"Mom, did you cover Dad's breakfast with honey again?" Hiyatsu smirked.

For as long as she could remember her parents had an ongoing battle of wills when it came to breakfast. Her father was a fan of savory breakfasts, mostly consisting of eggs and sausage. Her mother, on the other hand, would eat anything as long as it was covered in a thick layer of honey. Her mother had a tendency to forget this fact and continued to pour honey over her father's breakfast. It was one of the many things she loved about her parents.

"Darling, I'm sorry I just get so excited to make you breakfast that I forget. Besides, it's your fault I like sweets so much." Zero-Two shouted as she raced out of her daughters' room. She watched her mother disappear down the hall, Hiyatsu decided that she definitely needed to get out of the house today otherwise she would get stuck with housework and "family bonding time" as her dad called it.

"I'll grab breakfast quickly and head to the library."

After getting dressed she ran downstairs to the dining room to grab her breakfast. "Ok, first I'll grab breakfast and make my way to the front door. If either Mom or Dad stops me I'll think of something to get them off my back." She peeked out of her bedroom to see if her parents were coming back up the steps. She took off from her room towards the stairs. She stopped to check her parent's location. "They still sound like they are in the kitchen arguing about the honey," she crept slowly down the stairs. When she got to the bottom of the stairs she suddenly bumped into her father. "Dad!" she shouted. He looked up from the newspaper he was reading and said

"Oh, Hiyatsu there you are I was looking for you, do you want to go to the store together?" Her father, Hiro, was a kind, strong, intellectual man with raven hair.

"Yeah sorry Dad, I would love to but I am headed out," she said as she moved past him and towards the dining room.

"Where are you going?" her father asked.

Thinking of an excuse she said, "I'm off to the library, I wanted to get a history book." That was a partial truth since her plan also included going to hang out with her friends, which usually lead to trouble and she didn't feel like letting her dad know that. "I shouldn't be gone too long. We can hang out afterward," she tried her best to flash a smile like her mother did when she wanted something from him.

"I would like that, especially today of all days," he smiled at her.

Hiyatsu tilted her head, _What did he mean especially today?_

Hiro laughed at her reaction, "You are your mothers' kid you know that?"

She looked at him, "What makes you say that?" Hiyatsu was often told this by many people who knew her mother and she always enjoyed hearing it.

"Well, you just remind me of her when she was younger."

Zero-Two appeared from around the corner holding a bag. "I figured that once you saw my outfit that you might try to sneak off so I packed your breakfast. Try not get into _too_ much trouble today." The way her mother put emphasis on _too_ indicated she knew what Hiyatsu was going to be doing today.

"Alright Mom and Dad, I'll try to be careful. I won't promise anything," she paused. "I am my mother's kid, after all." She winked as she sprinted out the door.

As Hiyatsu ran past the little shops and stalls that dotted her way to the bus stop she was engulfed by their fragrance. "They seem pretty busy for the morning," she thought. There was a lot more movement than normal at each stall. The shop owners were bustling around setting up their goods each with frantic looks on their faces. She couldn't help but notice that the food smelled especially good today and it made her stomach growl. "You already have a breakfast, plus you are broke," she said, "No more food for you, stomach." This however proved an ineffective attack as her stomach proceeded to growl louder. Determined to make it to the bus stop without spending any of her money she quickly escaped the street down an alleyway. When she emerged on the other side she found herself in a crowd and tried to avoid being swept up.

"What is going on? Why are there so many people out today? There shouldn't be any festivals for at least another few weeks" she wondered as she plodded through the crowd.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the boy walking up to her. "Hey, Hiyatsu!" His voice rang out above the noise. Shaken out of her head she turned to see the familiar green eyes of her childhood friend Kaito.

Kaito was a tall boy with an athletic build, warm eyes, and a big smile. Hiyatsu enjoyed spending time with Kaito, he had a knack of finding trouble; though it would be more accurate to say that trouble had a knack of finding him and she found that exciting. She had met Kaito when he moved to the city twelve years ago and since that time they had been best friends. The two of them were often seen together, especially on their way to and from school since they lived close to each one another. He was frantically waving her over and heeding his call she walked up to him.

"You really are too happy for your own good. It's still morning, can't you calm down a little" she snipped.

"Should I have more 'worldly cynicism' as you put it the other day? You do like to suck the fun out of a good morning" he responded.

She shot him a look at his remark, but he ignored her and continued, "But seriously, what are you doing running out of the alley like that, you could have gotten yourself hurt."

She pouted and turned away "For your information I was trying to avoid the evils of food. The next street over has too many good food stalls and I am broke." Hiyatsu spun around and asked, "What is going on anyway?"

Kaito laughed "Don't you keep a calendar in your room? I swear if you didn't have me you wouldn't know what day of the week it was. Tonight is the New Beginnings Festival, so everyone is preparing for it." She looked puzzled, so he continued, "Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Earth's rebirth, so to speak."She stared blankly at him. "It's a celebration of our freedom from VIRM? Ring any bells" he said.

She thought hard for a moment then put her fist into her hand she shouted "I remember now! That's the day my parents came back and your parents started the new government!" Kaito jumped back at the sudden outburst and laughed.

The two friends walked through the throng of people that had gathered on the street to prepare for the night's activities. Hiyatsu and Kaito approached the bus stop and waited for the bus to arrive. While they waited they decided that the day was too nice to spend inside a stuffy library and the lake on the outskirts of the city sounded like a better use of their time. Kaito had business there that he was trying to explain to Hiyatsu when the bus arrived. Hiyatsu and Kaito boarded the bus and took their seats in the back. The bus rumbled to life and made its way down the street. The familiar buildings began to stream past the bus window as Hiyatsu gazed out at the sight. The same feeling from the morning crept back into her heart.

She frowned "This city is so dull," she thought "of all the places to get stuck, why here?"

Sensing that his friend was troubled about something Kaito spoke up. "Hey, something on your mind?"Hiyatsu turned her head but didn't respond. "Fine, don't tell me but I will get it out of you eventually," he said.

"It's nothing" she smiled "Don't worry about it. Aren't you excited to see the lake today?" She tried her best to hide the fact that she had changed the subject. She hopped that Kaito hadn't noticed.

"Oh, yeah" he responded, "after the rain, we had last night there must be some nice flowers around there to look at." She was relieved that he didn't bring up that she looked troubled again.

She smiled again and the feeling faded "Yes, they should be _lovely_ this morning. I wonder how many types we can identify and put into my book." She glanced over at Kaito who had already taken out a notebook. "You know it's hard to make fun of you when you aren't listening to me," she said, "Put the book down for just a minute and talk with me." Kaito didn't move, "He's lost," she thought "I'll have to shake him out of his trance once we get to the lake."

When the bus pulled up to their destination Hiyatsu lightly punched Kaito in the shoulder. He looked up from his notebook and Hiyatsu nodded towards the door. They got out of their seats and stepped off the bus. Hiyatsu strolled to a bench that overlooked the lake, she thought that it felt good to be out of the city limits. The lake was situated right outside of the city. Beyond it was an expanse of open land most of it still barren from the events of 20 years ago. On the eastern side of the lake, the was blanketed with thick pine, elm and oak trees.

It was a dense forest that the city dwellers would use as shelter from the sun during the early days of the trading operations. The shore of the lake was a bright yellow sand that was a very fine grain. The waves lapped the shore with a gentle crash. As she sat there the mid-morning sun blanketed the ground in a warm light and the flowers gently swayed in the breeze. Hiyatsu loved to be among nature, she was able to think better when there was less man-made noise.

"I need more excitement in my life," she thought, "Maybe we can get into some trouble tonight at the festival."

She looked over at Kaito who was sketching a few plants into his notebook. He always had enjoyed plants and whenever possible would sketch them out and take notes to research later. She stared at him until he noticed, when he looked over she flashed him a devious grin.

"I know that look, whatever you have planned I want no part of it today," Kaito said.

"Who said anything about plans," she said. "I was just thinking that's all."

Her act did not convince him "That's the problem, the only time you think is when you are trying to get out or _into_ trouble."

She squinted at him, "Fine, I was just thinking that we need more excitement in our lives and tonight is the perfect time to get some."

She thought for a moment then exclaimed, "We should steal a few fireworks from the Festival and set them off in a field!" Kaito was not impressed by her idea. "Come on," she continued, "It'll be fun. Trust me."

She looked over at Kaito who shook his head. "Not only does that _not_ sound fun, why don't you just wait for the fireworks at the Festival. Why do you have to steal them?"

She ignored him, "It'll only be like one or two at the most. We could just take them real quick, run off on our own and set them off. Plus the danger of getting caught is what makes it fun if you must know. I need some excitement to keep me going."

"You keep saying that," Kaito said as Hiyatsu turned away. "Why not pick up a new hobby or something to keep you busy." Hiyatsu glanced back at Kaito and the look she had made it clear that she was going to go forward with her idea. Seeing no other option Kaito sighed "Alright, I'll go with you, but only to make sure you don't end up hurt." Hiyatsu turned back to him and flashed him a smile.

When Hiyatsu turned around she noticed that Kaito had pulled out a knife and was cutting some leaves off of a bush. She watched as he carefully placed the leaves into a bag he had brought with him. She walked behind him and saw that on the ground next to him he had drawn the bush in his notebook. Hiyatsu saw that Kaito had written notes around the picture he drew. Some of the writing looked like labels for parts of the plant while others were some sort of shorthand she didn't understand.

As she leaned in closer Kaito asked: "Can I help you?" Hiyatsu hadn't realized how close she had gotten while trying to look at his notebook.

"What are these notes on the left-hand side of the page?" she asked.

Without looking at his notebook Kaito responded "It is sort of a code I have for plants based on its general characteristics. They could be what family it belongs to, what color is it, how much sun does it like and so on." As he was speaking he plucked a handful of deep blueberries off the bush and placed them into the same bag.

"Why do want the leaves and berries," Hiyatsu asked. "Well, I need a few of the berries to try and grow this bush back at home since I don't have this bush yet. As for the others, I want to break them down and study them. I'm close to having all of the information on the small flowering plants in our town completed but I haven't been able to get a good sample of this plant until today. It only produces berries for a short amount of time and they are a favorite of birds and other animals, so during the summer by the time I get out here they are already gone."

"When did you become so interested in plants, Kaito? Is there a girl showing some interest in you?" Hiyatsu pried.

"Not exactly," he laughed. "Even if there was a girl why would I choose botany?" he asked.

"How should I know about what kind of girls you are in to. They might like weird and exotic plants," she responded.

Kaito gave her a puzzled look "That's a weird thing to be into. But it's actually because of my Dad." He continued "You know how my Dad always goes out around the world? He often brings back a bunch of plants and soil to study. Kokoro would come over and she would ask for my help. So I have always been around it."

"Oh, I know that," Hiyatsu said, "but you seem really into the recently."

Kaito paused for a moment "That's probably because this has been a recent development. I only took a deeper interest in plants after Kokoro lent me her book on Botany. It fascinated me and I dove head first into it."

Hiyatsu laughed, "That is very you Kaito. When something interests you, you don't rest until you understand it to the full of your ability."

After Kaito had finished with documenting and collecting samples from the bush he packed up his things and stood up. "Hey, let's go walk through the forest and see if we can find any other plants I don't have yet."

Hiyatsu got up and started off towards the forest. "I like that idea, it'll give me time to think of a plan for stealing the fireworks."

The two walked off towards the forest and laughed. As they walked they recounted some of their childhood memories, like the time that Kaito had been grounded for covering up one of Hiyatsu's schemes or the time that Hiyatsu had gotten lost and Kaito was the one who found her. They walked through the forest talking and laughing. Every so often Hiyatsu would stop and close her eyes, she listened to the water of the running river and the rustling of the leaves above her head. She touched the bark of the pine trees and felt the warmth of the still air.

At one point she stopped for a long time and stood there face upwards. After some time Kaito opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Hiyatsu "Ever wonder if you belong somewhere else?" She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Earlier you wanted to know what was on my mind, that's it."

Kaito looked up at the tree canopy and said: "I have thought that but not recently."

"Huh," she replied.

Realizing that his friend may have wanted more Kaito stammered "But I get it, it's like we are meant for something else."

Hiyatsu smiled, she was happy to have at least one person understand her even if it was just a little. "Don't worry about it," she gave him a toothy grin. "Let's keep going, we are close to the lake again."

They continued to walk towards the lake. When they emerged from the forest Hiyatsu ran towards the shore removed her shoes and walked into the water. The water was cool on her feet and it washed away any weariness that the trip through the forest might have caused. Kaito joined her after a moment and the two continued to talk and laugh until the sun had climbed high into the sky. Right around lunch, the two friends decided that they should head back to town and get ready for the festival and made their way to the bus stop.

Back in town Hiyatsu and Kaito parted ways but not before agreeing to meet in front of the Festival gate. After saying goodbye Hiyatsu made her way towards the Library. She had decided that she would get a history book out just in case her Father asked what she did during the morning. After checking out at the Library she headed home to get ready for the Festival.

When it was time for the Festival, Hiyatsu ran out of the house and towards her destination. She had enjoyed a nice dinner with her parents but wanted to get to the Festival gate early so she could ambush her friend. She let her parents know that she would meet up with them later, Hiyatsu enjoyed spending time with her parents at events like this because her mother often would get herself in trouble and Hiyatsu was able to tag along. As she danced down the street thinking of the best way to hide from Kaito she couldn't help but notice how pretty the city had become. Each building she passed was bathed in a golden light that emerged from the red paper lanterns hung across the street.

This warm light was contrasted by the vibrant but cool blue flowers that dotted the storefronts. The combination of light and color gave Hiyatsu the impression of two individuals opposite yet perfect for each other. Hiyatsu had noticed that these colors always reminded her of her parent's personalities. She continued to run toward the Festival gate and spotted a planter that housed a large bush for her to hide behind. She ducked behind the bush to await her prey.

Kaito had been strolling down to the gate from his house up the hill. He marveled at the lights swaying in the breeze. To him they looked like embers floating away from a fire, he walked under the Festival gate arch staring at the festival grounds and didn't notice the shadow lurking behind him.

"Ahhhhhh!" Kaito screamed. Hiyatsu had snuck up behind him and jabbed his sides. "Please don't do that Hiya" Kaito scowled.

Hiyatsu was doubled over at her friend's reaction. "You are so jumpy," she sputtered in between laughs.

"Alright Hiya, get up please can we go in? I'm already nervous about what you are planning. I just want to enjoy myself a little beforehand." Kaito helped Hiyatsu back to her feet.

She lifted her head to him and smiled "Don't you worry my dear, we will have _plenty_ of fun."

Kaito shot her a glance, "I don't like the sound of this."

Hiyatsu grabbed Kaito's hand and led him into the Festival grounds. She was excited to see this years festival. She always had some fun, but this year felt different. She hadn't seen anything like this in a while. The Festival seemed to be more lively than last year, which was a welcomed break from how the city normally felt. The festival ground was filled with the same light from the streets, it covered everything and made the area feel like a cozy room where someone would curl up with a good book and a fire. The vendors called after each passing potential customer with offers more generous than the vendors next to them and the murmur of the crowd reminded Hiyatsu of the river she had walked next to earlier in the day, noisy but comforting.

She could feel the electric atmosphere and she wanted to keep that feeling alive. As she ran through the crowd taking in all the sights and sounds she realized that she was still pulling Kaito along. She stopped and let go of his hand. "Sorry," she said. She let out a nervous laugh without realizing it.

He looked at her like she had something on her face. "Oh yeah don't worry about it," he tried to reassure her.

She felt embarrassed for dragging him through all those people so she asked 'Hey, what do you want to do?"

"Well," he started, "why don't we go to that stand over there?" He pointed to a stand behind her, she turned to see what he was pointing to and her eyes lit up. "I know how much you like sweets so I figured I would treat you to some cotton candy," he smiled at her and waved her forward. Hiyatsu ran over to the stall and gazed at the machine that produced the sweet treat she loved so much. Kaito walked up and ordered two bags of cotton candy while Hiyatsu stood too entranced to say anything. He tapped her shoulder to get her attention and handed her a bag. She excitedly grabbed the bag, opened it up and began to stuff her face.

"Woah, slow down Hiyatsu otherwise you won't have room for my sweet bread." A voice from a neighboring stall rang out. Her cheeks were still puffed out full of cotton candy so that she couldn't respond but she knew who the voice belonged to.

She swallowed the candy and shouted "Futoshi! Didn't think you would have a stall here this year."

He smiled and waved them over, "I think I made the perfect Festival bread this year so I wanted to debut it." He leaned in and said in a low voice "The secret is using the finest white, powdered sugar as the sweetener. Lucky I know a guy who has a steady supply."

Hiyatsu looked him and laughed, _Mom and Dad did say he was serious about his food and that he treated his sources like he was a mob boss._

"Mind if I try some," she asked. No one came close to Futoshi's baked goods in the entire city so a chance to try his new bread was one she couldn't pass up.

"Sure thing," he said, "You are so much like your mother in that regard. I bet ol' Hiro has a rough time with all the sugar in the house."

Hiyatsu giggled, "Only at breakfast, Mom still won't give up on covering it with honey."

Futoshi smiled "I'm glad that things are still the same from back when we were kids." He looked off as if remembering some old adventure or more likely some food he had from his childhood. He turned his attention back to the two "Hey Kaito, how are your parents doing? They haven't come into the bakery in a few weeks."

Kaito sighed "You know how they are, Dad took off to go collect some more plants and Mom was busy with the Festival prep. Dad said he would stop by when he got back to let you know if he found any new ingredients."

Futoshi was very pleased to hear of this news. "Good, I needed some new inspiration after I came up with this beauty." He held up two small balls of bread. "Let me know how they taste," he said as he handed them a ball each.

Hiyatsu took a bite and she squealed. It was the best bread she ever had, it was sweet but not a cloying sweetness that plagued much of the sweet bread she had tried. It was hard on the outside which provided a nice crunch which complemented the soft and tender inside. It was filled with a delicate red bean paste. All she could say was "Pillow in the mouth." Kaito never figured out what she meant by that but her reaction was all Futoshi needed to see.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Futoshi said. He smiled and gave them each another bread. After Hyiatsu and Kaito finished the bread they waved goodbye to Futoshi and set off deeper into the Festival grounds.

The night progressed peacefully, the two spent time playing games and trying different foods. It was late in the night when Hiyatsu started to get the itch to get into some trouble. She leaned into Kaito and whispered into his ear "It's time to commence operation: Big Explosion."

Katio hung his head, he had hoped she had forgotten about the plan "Alright let's get this over with."

They began to walk towards the area that held the fireworks. It was separated from the main area by a wall that had a gate which looked to be the only entrance from inside the Festival grounds. The back was accessible from the outside but there were men checking the fireworks and the grounds. There were three tents that Hiyatsu and Kaito could see workers going in and out carrying the fireworks. Hiyatsu noticed that there was a natural rhythm to the worker's paths. She decided that they would have a shot once all three workers went into the second tent. She looked at Kaito and started making hand signals.

"What on earth are you doing?" he asked. "You look crazy doing that."

She frowned, "I am trying to be professional here." She swung her head back to the site, she said in a hushed voice "Ok, we don't have much time. I think they are almost finished setting up. When that last guy goes into the tent we have about three minutes to grab some fireworks from the furthest tent." Kaito was impressed with her capability to discern the movement that quickly.

"You should really use that intelect of yours for good sometime," Kaito said.

Annoyed Hiyatsu said, "Let's talk about this after we have some fireworks in hand." They began to slowly move over to the gate and slipped inside when a group of workers were carrying in various boxes. They moved into position behind the furthest tent and waited for the right time.

When the last worker entered the tent in behind of them, the two lifted up the back of the tent they hid behind and entered. Inside it was dark but there was enough light to see the spoils of their effort. They had hit the jackpot, all the really big fireworks were held in this tent. Excited Hiyatsu rummaged through the piles of fireworks to find the ones she liked."Hey, let's just grab two and get out of here," Kaito pleaded.

"We need the perfect ones, something flashy" she responded.

"I'm serious let's just take this one" he sounded more desperate.

"I'm not don…." she stopped talking.

Outside the tent there were voices and they were getting closer. Hiyatsu was confused since they hadn't been in the tent for the full three minutes. As the voices came closer they could her them say "Alright let's grab next is to grab one in here. We missed it when we came to pick up the last batch." Hiyatsu heart raced, she felt so excited. She looked over at Kaito who was having the opposite reaction to the situation. There was some flapping and a hand reached in to open the tent.

Hiyatsu grabbed two fireworks on top "No time to look now," she said as she turned to escape out the tent. When the worker entered and light streamed into the tent all he saw was Hiyatsu's feet leaving from the back. He quickly ran around to the back of the tent but the pair of feet weren't there.

Hiyatsu and Kaito took off from the fireworks tent and ran towards the field behind the festival. They kept running until they were out of breath. Kaito collapsed and wiped the sweat from his eyes, "That was too close for my liking."

Hiyatsu laid on the ground next to him and gazed up into the night sky, "That was just close enough for my liking."

She closed her eyes to hold onto the feeling that she had just experienced. It wasn't often that she felt this thrill and wanted it to last longer. She opened her eyes and was met with the shimmering a few minutes she sat up and said: "It's time to set these guys off." She produced a small box from her bag and opened it up to show matches. "Hey Kaito, can you plant the fireworks in the ground? After that, I'll light them and we can stand back and watch."

Kaito sat up and said, "Can do."

He picked up the two fireworks; one looked like a rocket with yellow and green markings on the body and cone, the other one looked like a ball that had red streamers attached to it, both of them were attached to long wooden poles that Kaito used to plant them into the ground. Hiyatsu lit the two fuses and they both ran backward. The first one went up and exploded into a vibrant yellow circle that fizzed into a bright green as it fell to the earth. The second flew up high into the sky and exploded with a loud pop, and showered the sky with red and blue segments that whistled and whized in different directions. To Hiyatsu this was a great view, she loved fireworks and loved getting away with a scheme. As the last light faded into the darkness she smiled and hugged Kaito.

Hiyatsu and Kaito headed back to the Festival ground to enjoy the rest of night. When they got back the Festival was buzzing. The fireworks that the two had stolen and set off had been seen at the Festival. This sent the workers into a scramble to make sure the firework display had not malfunctioned. The commotion allowed the two friends to enter the grounds without being seen. Thoroughly pleased with herself, Hiyatsu planned on enjoying the rest of her night.

As she walked with Kaito a familiar face made its way towards her. The girl approached Hiyatsu and Kaito and said "Where have you two been? Not causing any trouble I hope."

Kaito stammered "Ai! Oh hello, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Why wouldn't she be here Kaito?" Hiyatsu forced a laugh.

Ai looked at them suspiciously "You two are acting strange again. This tells me that either: one you know something about those fireworks going off or two you guys are on a date and don't want anyone to know."

"We are not on a date!" Both responded too quickly.

Ai smirked, "HA, I knew it was you two!"

Kaito looked around nervously "Are you going to tell anyone."

Ai gave a coy look "I might, but I would consider forgetting this if you promise to take me next time you do something crazy. There needs to be someone with brains to keep you two out of trouble."

Kaito exhaled "Ok fine I'll tell you next time she comes up with a scheme."

Hiyatsu shrugged "Could be fun but you are a bit of a stick in the mud, so don't get in the way."

Ai's eyes twitched "I am not a stick in the mud! I just like following the rules that's all."

Hiyatsu turned away and gave a playful wave "Whatever you say."

"In any case, your parents are looking for you Hiya," Ai said, "They want to spend some time with you tonight."

Hiyatsu turned back to her "We were actually just on our way to find them."

"Good, because mine and Kaito's parents are with them as well so we might as well all go" Ai replied. Hiyatsu, Kaito and Ai walked together to spend the night with their parents as a group.

After the fireworks ended and the festival was coming to a close the group decided to part ways and head home. As Hiyatsu walked home with her parents she wondered if her parents even questioned about their purpose in life. "Hey Mom and Dad, did you always know what you had to do with your life?"

They turned and looked at her. "We did for the most part," Hiro responded. "Your mother and I wanted to find each other again after being separated."

"We also knew that we had to defeat our enemy," Zero-Two added.

"Oh, okay," said Hiyatsu.

"Don't worry too much about it honey," Zero-two said, cupping the side of her face. "You will find your place and you always have us to lean on." She brushed the bangs out of Hiyatsu face and gave her a smile.

That night while she laid in bed thinking about the question she had asked her parents a sudden sleepiness overtook her.

As she fell deeper into sleep she found herself in a forest filled with an orange and red flower she had never seen before. The strange flower captivated her imagination and she marveled at its beauty. She felt a longing as if something dear to her was missing as she stared into the field of these flowers. Hiyatsu began to walk through the field trying to make sense of the feelings that they brought her when from the corner of her eye she spotted her home held up by three pillars.

The pillars were arranged in a triangle with two pillars in front and a single pillar behind, this last pillar was obscured by the trees so Hiyatsu was unable to see the entire thing. The house was surrounded by a semi-circle of densely populated trees. She suddenly found herself in the same woods that she walked in earlier in the day. She tried to close her eyes and hear the familiar sounds but there was nothing there. She stood there for a long time trying to recall the sounds of the trees but nothing came from it.

She opened her eyes and looked at her home as a path began to appear leading to the pillars. The dirt road stretched from the pillars and moved towards where she was standing finally stopping once it was under her feet. Hiyatsu started to walk down the path towards her home. With each step towards her home, she felt dread growing within her. She tried to think of the fun she had at the festival with Kaito, with setting off the fireworks, how happy she was during that time. Nothing stopped the feeling welling up inside her.

She ran towards her house and could see three figures standing at the door, she was unable to make out who it was but she could hear them calling her name. They got louder and louder until one screamed "Yu ari komisk!" She stopped in her tracks baffled by the language she just heard. The three figures kept shouting the same phrase over and over again until a larger figure loomed up over the house. This figure looked different from the others, it was shadowy and moved like a wraith. It grew large and engulfed the other three figures as their screams echoed into silence and began to consume the house.

Frightened Hiyatsu tried to run away from the shadowy figure. The wind bit her face as she sprinted towards the forest, which now to her surprise was on fire. Tears streamed down her face and she turned towards the house. Her eyes gazed up to the sky and hopelessness entered into her heart. In the sky, a large dark hand appeared and blocked out the sun. She quickened her pace towards her home, she had the feeling that she alone would be able to protect it. The dark hand began frantically searching for something.

Hiyatsu raced to her home and tried to climb on of the giant pillars. Before she was able to climb the giant pillar the dark hand swung down and crushed the pillar. Hiyatsu jumped into a nearby tree. The house began to teeter after having one of the support pillars removed. It tilted but it never fell. The large hand began to search again and this time it found Hiyatsu in the tree. The nad swung down with mighty force.

Hiyatsu shot up in bed covered her face and screamed.


	2. A Day in the City

A/N: I have updated the formatting and cleaned up errors in this Chapter as well.

* * *

Hiyatsu found herself sitting in her room drenched in a cold sweat. She lowered her hands and looked around the room, all she saw was moonlight streaming in through her window.

"What was that dream?" she thought. "What was that language that I heard," she said to herself, "I better write that phrase down, so I can remember it."

She walked over to her desk, sat down and flipped on the light. She reached for a pen and some paper and cleared off a spot on the cluttered desk. She wrote down the strange phrase that had plagued the latter half of the dream "Yu ari komisk." She stared at the piece of paper for a long until she felt like she needed to get a drink. Hiyatsu got up from her desk shuffled to the door and walked out.

She walked down the steps trying not to make too much noise and made her way to the kitchen. She was trying to be as quiet as possible but in the dead of night, every noise seemed to be magnified to the sound of a firework explosion. She did not want to explain to her parents why she was covered in sweat and she did not want to talk about the dream she had.

Once in the kitchen, she rummaged around the cabinets looking for a glass to use. Hiyatsu reached into the cabinet and her hand brushed up against the glasses causing one to fall out.

Quickly reaching out her hand she tried to catch the falling glass, but it slipped past her outstretched hand. All she was able to do was watch as the glass fell to the ground and break into tiny pieces. She held her breath listening for any sound that came from her parents' room. She stood still not daring to even pull her hand back, but after what seemed like an hour there was no movement from her parents' room. She sighed and relaxed; she started to search for a broom to pick up the pieces of the broken glass.

After putting the shards into the trash can she went back to the cabinet to get another glass. This time she grabbed one and brought it down. Hiyatsu walked over to the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of water and filled her glass.

"Might as well grab a snack while I'm here," she thought and grabbed some food to bring back up to her bedroom.

Hiyatsu entered her room and headed over to her desk to turn the desk lamp off. She placed her glass down on the desk and began to nibble on the sandwich she brought up. While eating Hiyatsu decided to look over the phrase one more time and shook her head, she was still unable to determine anything about the strange language. While looking intently at the phrase Hiyatsu suddenly felt a sharp localized pain to two points on her forehead. Dropping the sandwich on the desk she rubbed the spots that had caused her pain. Panicked Hiyatsu ran over to the mirror in the corner of her room almost knocking the glass of the desk in the process.

She stood in front of the mirror feeling the spots on her forehead and flipped her hair back and did not see anything that would have caused her pain. "What is going on?" she asked. She was baffled that there was no red marks or sores to accompany the searing pain. She let her hair fall again but the pain began to grow and started to spread over her skin.

The pain was unbearable, and she collapsed onto the floor and passed out. An hour later she woke up sprawled on the floor. She groggily rose to her feet and stared at the mirror.

"When did I get over here?" She wondered aloud, "that was some dream."

It was then that she noticed the pain was completely gone. She wondered if the pain had really occurred or if it was part of the dream as well.

Staring at the mirror she again lifted her hair, and nothing was there. She told herself that it must have been part of the dream and she tried to recall the events. "I must have dozed off after getting back into my room," she walked over to the desk and saw that the sandwich she had brought up was laying there next to the pad of paper. She finished her glass of water, reached over to the desk lamp and flipped the switch. She laid down back into her bed, pulled the covers up and tried to fall back asleep.

In the morning, Hiyatsu struggled to get out of bed still stuck in a half-dream. All through the night images of the black hand and the three figures haunted her when she tried to close her eyes. Once or twice was she able to find rest but when she did it was only for a short while. On top of that, the strange pain on her forehead gave her enough to think about when she wasn't falling asleep.

She couldn't understand what was going on and why there was no evidence that the pain had been there. She yawned and stretched trying to will her body to move but had no luck. She tried this for several minutes before her body convinced itself that a few more minutes of sleep would be all she needed. Defeated, Hiyatsu rolled over and pulled a blanket over her head to block out the sun.

When she finally was able to get out of bed the sun had climbed high into the sky. It shone with radiance and cast its light down through her window only disrupted by the shadow of clouds moving past. Despite the lack of sleep, she felt oddly refreshed but terribly hungry.

"I need to get ready quickly, so I can go eat," she thought.

Jumping out of bed Hiyatsu crossed over to her dresser where she grabbed a shirt. She then danced over to a pile of clothes laying on the ground and picked up a pair of pants. Whether these articles of clothing were clean is anybody's guess. On the way out of her room, Hiyatsu grabbed a towel and hummed on her way to the bathroom clothes in hand. Throwing her clothes into a corner of the bathroom she turned the shower on and grabbed her toothbrush.

She began to sing out loud in the shower almost forgetting about the events of last night. She still felt a sense of dread, but in the light of day, she was able to push the feeling away for a time. When she had finished showering, Hiyatsu dried herself off and put on her clothes.

She skipped back to her room where she went to her desk and picked up a hand mirror. The mirror was made of solid silver which had dulled with time. The handle was simple and had a few designs etched into it; it also had a large crest on the back. The only new piece was the glass that made up the mirror, which at some point it had been replaced. This particular mirror was very dear to Hiyatsu since it had been given to her by her mother.

Hiyatsu remembered that when she was given the mirror her mother had explained that it was something Hiro had given her when they were younger and that it had brought them closer together. Her mother's wish was that it would do the same for them as a family.

She gazed into the mirror and wondered why the glass had been replaced. Of course, she had these thoughts many times but never asked her mother about it, since her mother was oddly quiet about her past. Hiyatsu was very curious about how her parents and their past, they seemed to be total opposites.

She would ask, "How did you meet," or "What were you like as kids?" Every time she would get the same answer, her father would say, "You are too young."

Her mother would say, "maybe another time."

This frustrated Hiyatsu, she didn't understand why she was too young to hear about her parent's past. What was so horrible or scary that she wouldn't be able to handle it. Hiyatsu wanted to know everything about them because she loved them so much. Of course, they were not without their oddities, like her mother's obsession with sweets and her fathers' habit of naming things, but she could live with those. She felt loved and supported by her parents and even though they wanted to spend time with her at inconvenient moments, she secretly enjoyed the company.

Hiyatsu finished brushing her hair, set the mirror down and got up. She headed towards her bedroom door and opened it to see her father was standing there with his fist raised readying for a knock.

"So you are awake," he said, "we thought that you would still be sleeping after last night." He smiled at her and continued, "In any case, your Mother and I thought that it would be nice to spend some time with you before school started back up. We didn't know if you had any plans, so we haven't decided on anything yet. Come downstairs and we can discuss it if you would like." With that, he turned around and went downstairs.

Hiyatsu stood there for a moment, "Did they hear my scream last night? Or maybe it was the glass breaking?" She wondered. "No, he would have said something. I must have made too much noise coming back up the steps and when I went back into my room." She remembered that she wasn't as cautious coming back up the stairs that night. Also, her parent's room was just down the hallway so to Hiyatsu it made perfect sense that they heard her enter her room.

She thought for a moment and decided that after her dream last night, and not having any other plans already, she would spend some time with her parents to help calm her down. The dream had made her feel uneasy and her parents, much more than her friends, helped her get over those feelings. Hiyatsu grabbed her bag from beside her door and headed downstairs to discuss the days plan with her parents.

When she got to the bottom of the stairs she could hear her parents in the living room. She walked down the hall passing the dining room and pictures of herself on the wall for various ages. Entering the living room, she could see her parents seated around the large coffee table in the middle of the room. Her father was in his favorite armchair which looked like it had seen better days, but he swore that it was still comfortable. Her mother, on the other hand, was seated on the couch that ran alongside the wall, it had big cushions and many pillows on it.

They motioned for her to sit down and she fell back into a pile of pillows on the couch. She looked at both and smiled, "So, what are you guys up too?" Her mother leaned forward from her side of the couch and said "We were just discussing that Honey. But first, we want to ask how you are doing?" She looked over Hiyatsu and worry flashed across her face.

Hiyatsu noticed this and replied "Oh, I was just getting something to drink last night. Couldn't sleep after all the excitement of the Festival." She nervously laughed hoping they wouldn't pry any further.

Hiro looked over his daughter and sighed "Well it can't be helped especially given the firework ordeal."

Hiyatsu straightened up, after her dream she had almost forgotten that she and Kaito had stolen fireworks. She wondered if her parents had found out that she was responsible and worried that she might end up getting into trouble rather than spending a relaxing day with her parents.

She decided to play along, "Yeah, that was crazy seeing those two go off in the field like that. I wonder what happened."

Hiro shrugged, "I wonder indeed." It went silent for a few moments before Hiro sat forward and said, "Okay, I think today would be a good day to walk around the city. Maybe we could see if there is anything we wanted to make for dinner?"

Zero-Two eyes lit up at this suggestion. "That sounds like fun Darling, Let's go right now," she exclaimed. Zero-Two jumped off the couch and ran towards the door. Hiyatsu laughed, "Looks like our decision has been made for us Dad."Hiro smiled and called after his wife "Zero-Two wait for us!"

Hiro and Hiyatsu ran after Zero-Two who had run off towards the city center. She stopped and waited for them at the end of the road. "Hey, Darlings! Come quick," she yelled back to them. The sun bathed her in a warm glow and Hiyatsu thought how beautiful she looked. Hiro ran ahead and hugged Zero-Two; they spun around in each other's arms laughing.

Hiyatsu smiled and thought about how lucky she was to have parents that loved each other's company so much. Hand in hand Hiro and Zero-Two walked down the street and Hiyatsu ran to catch up.

"Hey you two, don't forget me," she shouted as she ran.

Her parents turned to her and held out their hands. Hiyatsu reached out and grabbed them and interlocking her fingers as she walked side-by-side with her parents down the street towards the city center.

The city where Hiyatsu lived was named Nova Aeris. It was the largest city in the Northern Region and it was the home of the North Republic Government. The city consisted of two-story houses packed tightly together with shops interspersed throughout. Hiyatsu's parents used to compare it to a town they had found near a beach when they were younger. It sprawled over two miles following the river leading from the lake. Right in the center of the sprawl was the city center which housed all manner of shops and stalls that sold goods from all over the region.

Since it was the largest city and it was on the river there was a lot of trade that occurred. Merchants from all over would come to sell their wares in hopes of riches. The city center was outlined with roads and inter-crossed with walking paths. There were pockets of trees and bushed sprinkled around the city center that provided some shade and natural beauty. Mostly made of Japanese Magnolia and small Yew Pines it brought color and serenity to the otherwise hectic city center. Just beyond the southern section of the center was the North Republic Government building.

It was a large stone building that loomed over the city center like a stalwart of the people. It rose high above the surrounding buildings and had a metal plated dome that shone in the sun. The city center was extra lively that day as Hiyatsu and her parents walked towards the large plaza at the center. It was often used as a place to hold a farmer's market which had many stalls containing all manner of food and produce.

Hiyatsu strolled with her parents up and down the aisles of vendors looking at different produce and sampling different baked goods.

"See anything you like Darling?" Zero-Two asked Hiro.

"Not really," he replied.

"What about this?" Her mother was holding up a red and green fruit that looked like it was on fire.

Hiyatsu had never seen a fruit like this and wondered what it could be. Her father looked at the fruit and did not look impressed.

"I think I'll pass," he said shaking his head.

Zero-Two pouted "You aren't even going to give it a try?"

"Do you even know what that is?" he asked.

"Nope! But I am going to try it anyway."

"Hey, Zero-Two you can't…" Hiro couldn't finish before Zero-Two took a big bite out of the fruit.

Hiyatsu could see that the flesh was white and there were black seeds inside. Zero-Two squealed excitedly and after finishing her bite she said: "Its sweet like a melon, same texture too!"

The shopkeeper looked over and said, "Hey you gonna pay for that?" Hiro and Hiyatsu looked at each other embarrassed. Hiro explained to the shopkeeper that they would purchase the fruit and a few more to take home. Hiyatsu overheard him talking to the shopkeeper about turning it into a desert for Zero-Two and she smiled inwardly at his thoughtfulness.

The family continued on their way through the market, walking past various shops and stalls selling more and more strange and exotic goods. Hiyatsu noticed that many of the merchants had one of two crests attached to their stalls and clothes. Even though she could tell that the people wearing the crest were from different settlements, due to clothing and skin tone, they didn't co-mingle with people wearing the other crest.

"Hey, Dad? What is up with these crests?" She asked.

"Don't you remember from school?" Her father turned to her concerned that she hadn't been paying attention again in her classes.

"I... I don't really remember. Maybe something to do with their jobs?" She blushed from embarrassment as they continued to walk. T

hey walked past a few more stalls into an open area, Hiro motioned to Zero-Two "I'm going to talk with Hiya for a bit, you can go on ahead."

Zero-Two looked at them with a perplexed look. Hiro waved her off saying "I'll tell you later." She nodded and bounded off into the crowd to go explore the sights, she didn't get to come to the market much, so she was going to make the most of her time.

Hiro watched her for a bit and then sighed "Alright, Hiyatsu have you been slacking in your studies again?" Hiyatsu felt her face turn a deep red. She did try very hard in school but found it painfully boring and because of that, her mind would drift off during class or while she was doing homework.

Noticing that she was red like a strawberry Hiro moved on "You were close a moment ago. It does have something to do with their jobs. They are a part of one of the two merchant guilds that operate in the Northern Region. One goes by the Winged Messengers Guild and the other simply goes by the Merchant's Guild. The Merchant's Guild is the older and larger of the two, the Winged Messengers Guild is relatively new and has only started operating in the last five years or so. They control most of the trade in the Northern Region." As Hiro talked they moved to a nearby bench and sat down.

A question came to Hiyatsu's mind, "Why don't they talk to each other? Wouldn't it be better for them to work together?"

Hiro gave a weak smile, "If only that would work." He sighed.

After a moment he began again "You see, once the Winged Messengers Guild started to gain prominence they became bitter rivals and competed for the same customers. So that's one reason, the other is almost as straightforward. The North Republic Government won't allow it. They put into place very strong anti-conglomerate laws, which is understandable given where we came from."

Hiyatsu knew what her father was referring to with this last statement. "That makes sense I guess. They did that because of the Great War right Dad?"

Her father smiled "It looks like you know that much," he laughed and ruffled her hair. "Yes, the Great War has shaped a lot of what the world currently is. Like the Northern and Southern Region, for example, the reason we have two regions is…"

Hiyatsu finished his sentence, "to ensure that no one person or group could amass too much power again."

She gave a sly wink to her father, "see I pay attention." Hiro shook his head and thought to himself how he felt like he was dealing with her mother.

"Yes, yes you are right. I would be concerned if you didn't remember that."

Hiyatsu laughed, "Well it's a good thing you aren't asking me anything else because that's about all I can actually remember."

Hiro stood up "Anyway let's go catch up with your mother. She should be on the other side of the market by now." He started to walk off but Hiyatsu grabbed his hand

"Dad, you and Mom were in the Great War, right?" Hiro stopped and looked at his daughter and nodded. Hiyatsu continued "Can you tell me anything about it? Every time they would cover it in school all they say is that you were a hero but nothing else." Hiro didn't say anything and Hiyatsu saw a shadow pass over his face. "Dad?"

"We don't talk about it," Hiro said coldly. Taken by surprise at the sudden coldness from her father she asked "Why not? What can't you tell me?"

The shadow receded from his face and his eyes flashed a vibrant blue, "It's not the right time Hiyatsu. Maybe when you are older."

This did not satisfy her curiosity, "You always say that. I'm not a little kid anymore. I can handle whatever it is."

Hiro looked at his daughter, "I have no doubt that you can handle what really happened but it's not the right time to talk about it yet. But now we should find your mother let's go."

"What do you mean what really happened?" she asked him as he walked off towards the crowd.

He glanced over his shoulder, smiled and said, "Sorry I can't hear you over the noise of the crowd, guess I'll just have to go find your mother."

Hiyatsu stood up but did not follow her father right away. "He dodged my question! Mom is starting to rub off on him." Her father normally didn't ignore her questions like that and it made Hiyatsu even more curious about what he had said. She began to run through many different scenarios on how she was going to ambush her parents when she realized that she had lost them in the crowd.

Hiyatsu chased after her parents through the growing crowd. It was close to evening and the market was filling with people grabbing a bite to eat before their commute home. She pushed her way through the crowd in hopes that she would eventually run into her parents, but she was not having any luck. She had a general idea that they would be on the other side of the market.

As she continued to make for her destination she found herself near a stall with no guild crest attached to it. She paused for a moment, "No guild crest," she thought, "this is the first stall I have seen without one. I wonder why."

The stall had deep purple curtains enclosing three sides to make an open room. She couldn't see in the room because it was late and there were no lights coming from inside. She wondered if the shopkeeper was out and decided that she would go find her parents. Turning to leave an old leather-bound book stacked on a table outside of the stall caught her eye. The book was tattered and torn in the corners. Scorch marks scored the cover of the book.

Hiyatsu could tell that it had once been green with gold lettering. She was still able to read the inscription down the spine, Klaxo Sapiens History, and Culture: An Ancient History Told Through Stories. For some reason, the book drew her in. She picked up the book and leafed through its pages. It contained stories that described events from an ancient time; it also contained drawings of plants and animals she had never seen before. She was so engrossed with the text that she hadn't noticed the shopkeeper looking at her.

"Well, well, enjoying that book young girl?" A cool voice came from in front of her.

Hiyatsu quickly looked up, closed the book and set it back on the table. She looked at the shopkeeper intently, from what she could see the shopkeeper was slender and had a high yet soft voice. However, he wore a cloak that obscured his eyes only showing the lower half of his face.

"Sorry, how long have you been there?" she replied.

He smiled gently at her, "No need to apologize, I haven't been here long. In fact, I was just about to close up shop."

She bowed, "I'm sorry sir I can leave."

"Nonsense," he said, "you seemed so enthralled with that book I couldn't close up just yet. Come inside and I can tell you about it."

He beckoned for her to follow him into the stall. Hiyatsu hesitated, knowing that she needed to find her parents, but she also wanted to know more about the contents of the book. Picking up the book from the table she started to head for the stall when the shopkeeper turned to her and said: "Come in and sit down Hiyatsu."

Hiyatsu was startled to hear her name come from the stranger. "How do you know my name?" She nervously said.

A curious smirk came over the shopkeeper's face. "I know many things, but one of the things I know is your parent's identity. So figuring out your name wasn't a difficult task."

The smirk quickly changed to an innocent smile while he talked. Hiyatsu immediately stopped, "How do you know my parents," she demanded.

The shopkeeper looked at her and said "You are the spitting image of your Mother. But that did not give me the clue; I must confess I overheard your father talking to you about the Great War." Something about the way he spoke gave Hiyatsu the feeling that he knew her name far longer than just earlier in the day.

"I am not going any further until you give me your name," she demanded.

The shopkeeper shrugged and said, "I have many names, but these days I mostly go by Alfonse."

"Well Alfonse," she replied, "I don't like being spied on. How exactly did you overhear my father?"

Alfonse sat down in a chair, "I was on my way back from the Yakitori stall." On a table in the dark behind Alfonse Hiyatsu could see that there lay a half-eaten Yakitori. "You must excuse an old man like myself. I just can't get enough of this stuff," he turned around and grabbed the rest of the food. He began to eat it and motioned for Hiyatsu to sit down. "Don't worry and take a seat. I will be able to answer the questions you have about the book." Hiyatsu was about to open her mouth to say that she didn't have any questions when the man continued "I can see it in your eyes."

Hiyatsu cautiously sat down and stared at the man still wearing his cloak. "My eyes?" she asked.

"Yes, the eyes of a person can reveal a lot about them," he replied.

"Is that why you keep your hidden?" She pried.

Alfonse chuckled, "you catch on quickly."

"Would you take that thing off? Before I talk any more I want to get a good look at your eyes and see what they reveal about you."

A smirk flashed across Alfonse's face. "I don't see the harm in it. I like to keep a low profile, so the guilds don't come after me asking to join."

As he said this he slowly lowered the hood of his cloak revealing light blonde hair and a pair of green eyes. Hiyatsu was surprised by how young he looked, especially the way he moved and talked. She did notice that his eyes were sunken slightly and ages lines were beginning to show. He smiled warmly at her.

"There you go now you have seen my eyes, what do you think?" She looked over the man's face, he seemed genuine enough, so she let her guard down a little.

"You look trustworthy to me," she said, "we can talk for a bit then I need to go head home."

"Of course," he replied, "ask me your questions."

"Why aren't you a part of a guild? That's actually why I stopped at your stall. I was curious to see what kind of shop it was."

"Oh, is that it now? How amusing," he laughed, "I think that they are bothersome to my line of work."

She gave him a puzzled look "What line of work is that? Nothing weird I hope."

"I am a traveling merchant who adventures around the world from time to time collecting old and rare books. Maybe you think it's weird for someone of my age to go out and adventure but to me, it seems perfectly normal."

She shook her head "I wouldn't say that it's weird that you are exploring. I just didn't know anyone actually did that other than my friends Dad. He is the only one I have ever known to go out further than the two regions to explore. Even most of the merchants around here stick to the lands between the Northern and Southern capitals."

"I see," he said thoughtfully, "I must look old to you then." He shrugged and continued, "can't be helped you young-ins sure do like to point that out."

"You don't look old," Hiyatsu stammered, "I hadn't gotten to that yet!" She crossed her arms and huffed, "And I am trying to be serious here. I want to know what you meant by you can tell me about this book. Oh also do you have any books about plants? My friend is really into botany and I want to surprise him. He's always going on about gathering information and trying new recipes for medicine, so I figure this will shut him up for a bit."

"What an odd girl you are, you speak freely what's on your mind," Alfonse said. "Just like your mother," he said this to himself. He looked at the girl sitting in front of him, "she looks just like her too." She noticed that he was studying her and immediately felt uncomfortable.

"Are you OK?" she finally asked.

Alfonse gazed back up at Hiyatsu's face, smiled broadly and laughed. "Don't mind an old man, I sometimes drift off."

He finished laughing and put on a more serious face, "let me answer your second question first. Unfortunately, I don't have anything about botany. It's not something that I have taken a personal interest in and it doesn't catch a high market price. And to answer your first question, the book that you are holding contains all known information on the Klaxosaurs and Klaxo Sapiens. What makes it interesting is that it was written around the time that historians believe the Klaxo Sapiens had just been almost wiped out. It's my opinion that this was written by one of the last remaining Klaxo Sapiens to keep a record. It contains their culture, poetry, it even has the basics of the Klaxo Language."

At this Hiyatsu ears perked up. "To be honest though I haven't read the entire thing so there could be other secrets contained in the wording. How it survived this whole time is anyone's guess. I came across it on one of my many adventures. It was in an old library, in fact, many of these books are from that same library."

He pointed to two large bookcases behind Hiyatsu. She turned to look and saw that the books all had the same aged and battered look to the book she was holding in her hands. She looked back at Alfonse and was about to ask him more about his adventures when she heard in the distance "Hiyatsu! Hiyatsu where are you?"

She jumped up and yelled, "Oh man, my parents are going to kill me. I wish I could talk more." As she said this she handed the book back to Alfonse.

He rose from his chair and gently pushed the book back towards her. "Keep it for now," he said softly and pulled his hood back over his face.

Hiyatsu heard her parents getting closer, she turned to try and find them in the crowd.

"What do you mean keep" she turned back to Alfonse, but he was gone.


	3. Of Dreams and Memories

A/N: OK, so my first attempt the font got all sorts of messed up. Hopefully, this attempt works better.

* * *

Hiyatsu peered into the stall to see if any trace of Alfonse could be found. The stall was dark as the night sky and no movement could be seen. Wondering how a person could just vanish without a trace she put the book into the bag she had brought with her. As she spun around she began to head toward the sound of her parents. She could see them standing in a clearing between stalls calling for her. She squeezed through the crowd and reached the clearing, once there she called to her parents and waved. Relieved to see her they quickly made their way over to Hiyatsu.

"Where have you been darling?" her mother asked in a shaky voice. Hiyatsu could tell that her mother was very distraught over losing her at the market.

"I was just over at this stall talking with the owner," Hiyatsu said, "and I am 17 so it's not like I don't know how to get home." Zero-Two pouted, "But still, my darling all by herself, I couldn't bear it."

"Hiya, you know how your mother gets," Hiro added, "especially when it comes to you." Hiyatsu hung her head and apologized for worrying her parents. Zero-Two gently caressed the side of Hiyatsu's face, brushed some hair behind her ear and gave Hiyatsu a big smile.

Hiro stretched out his hand and offered it to Hiyatsu. "Let's go home," he said and the family left the market.

On the way back home Hiyatsu wondered why Alfonse had wanted to give her this book. It seemed to be of great importance, especially to those seeking out information on the Klaxo Sapiens. What struck her as the most peculiar part was that he seemed to believe that they would see each other again. "If he hadn't thought we would see each other again," she thought, "he wouldn't have said that I could have the book for now."

Noticing that Hiyatsu was lost in thought her father cleared his throat to get her attention. Startled out of her thoughts she lifted her head and smiled. "Wanted to make sure that you were still with us," Hiro said.

"Everything okay Darling?" her mother said in a soft and calming voice. Hiyatsu just smiled and replied, "Yup everything is fine, just thinking about some things that's all."

"Anything you wanna talk about?" Hiyatsu paused for a moment. She did want to talk to them about her dreams, but she also wanted to do some research on this book first. Looking over at her mother, Hiyatsu said, "Nope I'm good, I was just trying to decide what I was going to do tomorrow. I think I am going to spend some time at the Library with some friends."

Hiro glanced at his daughter, "Are you actually going to the Library this time? Last time I recall you spent most of the day with Kaito out at the lake." He laughed at Hiyatsu's slight scowl, "yes I am going to the Library and I didn't just spend the whole day at the lake if I recall I went to the Library and even got a book out."

Zero-Two tried to hold back a laugh, "We are very proud of you Honey." Hiyatsu gave a huff and crossed her arms, "Fine, I guess I won't talk until we get home since you two are just poking fun at me."

Hiyatsu was silent the rest of the walk home despite repeated attempts by her parents to make her laugh. When they finally arrived home Hiyatsu went up to her room and fell asleep.

She felt herself fall into a field of red and orange flowers. The sun shone warmly over the field as she softly landed on the ground and sat up. When Hiyatsu looked around, the world looked distorted but was very vibrant. Colors seemed to be alive, dazzling her in when the sunlight hit them. Hiyatsu stood up and began to walk around; to her, it looked like she had fallen into a clearing within a large forest.

As she was enjoying the flowers a sudden tremor occurred and off in the distance a large piece of machinery began to rise up.

As the object rose from the ground it became clear to Hiyatsu it looked like the mech suit her parents had used during the Great War. Why it was appearing in her dreams she wasn't sure. As she stood transfixed on the giant mech another sound dragged her attention away. A low rumble came from the sky and as she looked up a large ship was descending towards the mech. She tried to call out, but no sound came out.

All she could do is watch the mech be destroyed by the giant ship.

She felt uncontrollable sadness fill her body and she began to weep. She ran over to the spot where the mech had been crushed. Through her tears, she could see an old book peeking out from the ashes. It was an old leather book with green and gold lettering. Hiyatsu approached the book and picked it up. Much to her surprise, it was the same book that Alfonse had given her. Except it had a new inscription inside the front cover.

"For my sweet Hiyatsu, may this book guide you, From Mom and Dad," as soon as she read this she woke up.

After waking up Hiyatsu sat up in bed and said, "Well that was weird, must be so focused on the book that it's infiltrating my dreams. Weird. Although that's the second dream with those flowers, and what's up with that mech." She decided that she would go to the Library to read through the book hoping that it would provide some answers.

She got out of bed, quickly got dressed and ran out of the room with her bag in tow. Hiyatsu stopped in the kitchen and scribbled a note to her parents telling them that she was out for the day. Hiyatsu was in such a hurry that she forgot to grab breakfast on her way out the door. After complaining to herself about how hungry she was, a street vendor came into view.

Stopping for a quick bite to eat she got herself a bun filled with meat and vegetables. She normally wouldn't go for something as heavy like this in the morning but with the research up ahead she needed the energy. Hiyatsu purchased a red bean paste filled bun to save for a _morning reading snack_ as she liked to call it. Once she placed the bun into her bag she ran off for the Library.

The Library was an old, square, two-story building comprised mostly of stone and that looked as if a gentle breeze would knock off most of the exterior. The colors of the bricks had faded to a dull beige and most of the masonry was lost to the ages. The roof was missing shingles and the wooden sign was crooked and worn by countless years. It was recognizable as a library because a big stone book was carved into it the facade.

Hiyatsu walked up the cobblestone pathway, lined with old trees and bushes, towards the Library entrance. The doors were a deep red oak and very large. She pushed the door open and was greeted with the familiar smell of old books. The interior was quite different from the exterior of the building, in that it was warm and inviting.

Hiyatsu feet clicked on the marble floor of the entry hallway and reverberated off its arched ceiling. She stepped out of the entry hallway into the main area of the library. The first story had several bookshelves filled with all manner of books, these were mostly bunched together in the southern corner of the library.

Along each side of the building were cubbies that had a chair and desk so readers could sit down with a good book and read in peace. In the middle of the hall was a small pit were long tables meant for group studying. The entire floor was carpeted in green, red and gold; which was used to mostly damped sound. On the back wall of the Library, there was a staircase leading up to the second floor which had more bookshelves and big chairs to sit dotted aside the walls.

A person could also look down that see the first floor, it provided an excellent place to read and watch people as they busied themselves with work.

Hiyatsu walked down the steps to one of the large tables and pulled out the book she had been carrying. She began flipping through the pages and came across a piece of text written in the Klaxo Sapien language. She noticed that next to the text someone had translated it into the common tongue. She began to read the translation:

Where was the water that was flowing,

Where was the bird that was flying,

Cast down after victory to rise from the ashes.

Where was the victory long sought,

Where was the demon that came,

After the victory, they are coming,

Where was the long night that was promised,

Where was the bird that was flying,

It rises from the ashes in a new form,

Where is the new bird that is promised

Where is the demon that is coming,

After the long night, they are coming.

Hiyatsu kept reading the translation notes which was smudged from age, "This appears to come from a larger work titled the Fight of the Jian...the third passage and refers to future events. It looks like this was written...VIRMs appearance on earth."

She was unable to make out most of the writing. She turned her attention to the original text and noticed that the language looked familiar to her. After thinking about it for a few moments she realized that it was the language from her dream. She at least recognized the phrase "Yu ari komisk" which she now knew meant "They are coming."

She stared that the ancient text with images of the dreams flooding her mind. It was then that she noticed an odd translation note under the word "Daevirmon," the note read "In other works I have translated, this word is accompanied by imagery of a large black hand." This revelation shocked Hiyatsu, why was one of the images from her dream appearing in an ancient text she had never seen before. She also reasoned that this could not be due to any prior interaction with Klaxo Sapiens since she had never met one before.

With questions floating in her head, she began to dive deeper into the text searching for answers.

After some time she got out of her chair and began to search the Library for books that contained any information on the Klaxo Sapiens. While she was searching for information a librarian walked over and asked if she needed any help finding anything.

"I would like any book or piece of information related to the Klaxo Sapiens or Klaxosaurs," she said to the bewildered librarian.

She was informed that there might not be a lot of information regarding that topic but that the would try to find something. Hiyatsu thanked the librarian for the assistance and sat down at the table.

She then remembered that she had the red bean paste bun still stashed away and gingerly took it out of the bag. She gently unwrapped it and then shoved the whole thing in at once.

The librarian returned moments later while Hiyatsu was licking her fingers of the remaining bun. All she was able to find was history about the Great War, a few books on VIRM and the Klaxo Sapien history and an old operation manual of the Franxx mech system. Hiyatsu was surprised that the librarian was able to find anything at all.

"You can have all of this," the librarian said, "we don't have any people asking for it and we found it in a box in the back." Hiyatsu thanked the librarian again as she packed up her stuff. She left the library full of hope and determination that she would solve this problem in a short while.

A month had passed since Hiyatsu first started researching the images from her dream. Unfortunately, the only text that contained any information about them in any detail was the book she had received from Alfonse and she had exhausted the knowledge she could gain from it. T

he other books she had gotten from the library were useless as well. The book on the Great War was information she already knew from school, the books on VIRM were equal parts history class and boring information and the operation manual just taught her how to fight the Klaxosaurs and how to pilot the Franxx. She found this one at least interesting because she could envision her parents fighting in one to save the day. She secretly wished she was able to get into one and fight something, but the idea of "connecting" with someone felt a little too personal for her.

Finally, at a loss of what to do she decided to finally call Kaito; knowing that his father was a traveler and collector, similar to Alfonse, Kaito might have something in his vast book collection about the Klaxo Sapiens. She picked up the phone to call Kaito when he failed to answer she told him to meet her at the library. With that, she packed up her things and headed to the library to wait.

When Kaito finally arrived at the Library their mutual friends, Ai and Hana were tagging along. Hana who was Ai's younger sister had sandy blonde hair with bright, caring, blue eyes. She was gentle and kind although she wasn't always grounded. Unlike her sister, she would typically stay out of other people's business. Ai, on the other hand, would often act as a parent to the group rather than as a friend. She had a strong sense of justice and was very bright, but had a habit of letting people know that she was smart.

The three friends walked briskly over to the table where Hiyatsu was seated. She was surrounded by stacks of books and pieces of paper were strewn across one of the large tables in the center of the library. She didn't notice that the group had approached until Kaito spoke up.

"Hey, Hiya were are here."

Looking up from the book she was reading, Hiyatsu said "Why are you two here," looking at Ai and Hana.

"Kaito asked us here if you want to know," responded Ai.

Hana quickly added, "If you don't want us to be here, then we can leave."

"No Hana, please stay. At least this way I can deal with your sister," Hiyatsu said as she teasingly looked over at Ai.

Ai folded her arms and stuck her nose in the air, "And this is the thanks I get for not reporting you and Kaito to the authorities for your Firework Incident."

Kaito laughed, "The thanks you get for that was us including you for the rest of the night. But let's get back to the issue at hand. You sounded at the end of your rope Hiya, what's up?"

She motioned for the group to sit down at the table. Hiyatsu then went on to recount her dreams, how she received the book from Alfonse and what the text in the book revealed to her. When she had finished her story Hana looked over at Hiyatsu and with tears in her eyes said, "Hiya why didn't you tell us sooner."

Hiyatsu sighed, "Hana it really isn't anything to get upset over I didn't want you to worry that's all." Hana tried to wipe away the tears, "But you still had to face this alone and the black hand thingy was frightening." Hiyatsu looked over at her friend amazed with her concern, she started to think that she may have been better to talk with her friends earlier.

Ai handed a tissue to Hana and turned to Hiyatsu, "So you have looked over everything that the Library and this book has to offer," she said pointing to the book Hiyatsu was holding, "and you now want to ask if Kaito might have anything." Hiyatsu nodded, slightly shocked that Ai had figured out her needs so quickly.

Kaito looked surprised at the use of his name, "Why would I have anything like that book," he asked.

Ai continued, "Your Dad is the closest person that we know of who is like this Alfonse guy. Speaking of Alfonse, I don't like that he wasn't a part of a guild. That might be something to report."

Hiyatsu shrugged, "I'm not going to get into an argument about guilds right now with you Ai." She turned her attention to Kaito, "Do you have anything that might give us any clues?"

Kaito thought for a moment and said, "Sorry can't think of anything of the top of my head. Dad might have something in his collection though, I'll have to ask when he gets back. Just went out for a special part for someone in the city."

Hiyatsu smiled, "It's fine, looks like the only thing we have is this text." She began to pass the book around so the others could see the page she was looking at. "I have been over this translation so many times that I can't see straight anymore. Take a look and see if you can find anything then what I have already told you.

The group silently read the book and passed it between each other. After a long time, Ai spoke, "this is obviously some sort of message." Everyone's head shot up.

Hiyatsu gave a puzzled look to Ai, "How did you come to that conclusion?" Ai was about to speak again when Kaito raised his hand to stop Ai, "Now let's not jump to conclusions just yet Ai. We have no hard proof other than one piece of text translated by an unknown source."

Ai looked sharply at Kaito, "Ok what do you think it is," her glare was enough to burn holes in steel.

"I'm not sure, to be honest, but we really shouldn't jump to any conclusion yet," he responded.

Leaning back in his chair he began to think. After a few minutes, he sighed, "Nope can't think of anything."

Hana spoke nervously, "I agree with Kaito, we should try to look at all the facts first. Hiyatsu can I have the book again I want to look over the page one more time. Maybe I can get something new on this reading."

Hiyatsu opened the book to the page and slid the book over to Hana. Hana intently looked over the page, as she did this Hiyatsu said, "I looked over that whole page and couldn't make out what half of it said. I don't know if it's just too old to read or my eyes are tired."

Hana pointed to a section on the page and said, "Hiya what does it mean by the long night? The translator seemed to act like it was common knowledge. Is that something you learn in school?"

Hiyatsu shook her head, "I have no idea, it was one of the many things that puzzled me about this. It was mentioned a few times."

Ai reached over and took the book from Hana and spoke, "If I had to venture a guess, I think it's referring to a long period of time in between events. The early stanzas are referring to a mythical creature called the Phoenix. As to the reason, I don't know why but they come back after a period of time. With the connection to a long night and a Phoenix rising from the ashes I think my hypothesis is correct."

Kaito looked at Ai and said, "A Phoenix? Why would the Klaxo Sapiens use imagery from human antiquity?"

Ai shrugged, "How should I know, it just seemed to me to be that." Hana quickly said, " I don't know, the author of the translated part said the title of the full work was the 'Flight of the Jian' isn't that some kind of bird?"

Hiyatsu who had been silently sitting listening to the conversation spoke, "The Jian also known as the bird that shares wings, only possesses one wing. Unless a male and female pair lean on each other and act as one they're incapable of flight. They're imperfect incomplete creatures."Everyone turned their heads to look at Hiyatsu.

"That's something that my parents used to tell me when I would get upset. They said that it helped them a lot when they were younger."

Hana gasped remembering a distant memory, "Ai, Mom and Dad also used the Jian when talking about Hiyatsu's parents remember? It was a long time ago when we were much younger. You think this passage has anything to do with them?"

"How would we know that this is much older than they are," Kaito replied trying to make sense of it all.

Ai thought for a moment, "We just don't have enough information about this. Is there anything about the Jian in this book?" Hiyatsu said, "I don't know. It wasn't something I was looking for."

"Okay, well let me take the book for a few days and I'll go over it. I am better at this kind of research than you are," Ai stated. Hiyatsu agreed, she knew that Ai was the better student and that no one was better at obsessing over the details.

Kaito turned to face Hiyatsu, "Would you be willing to talk to your parents about this? They might have some information since they fought in the Great War and they seem to know about the Jian."

Hiyatsu shifted nervously in her seat remembering all the times she was rebuffed by her parents when she tried to get information from them about their part in the war. "That might not be so easy to do, they are pretty closed off about the war," Hiyatsu said. She started to think of ways that she would be able to get her parents to open up about their past but nothing was coming to her mind.

Kaito sensing that she was struggling with something offered to go with her to talk with them. She thanked him but declined the help. "It'll probably just make it worse," she said to Kaito. "I wonder if we could get any information out of any of their friends," she wondered out loud.

A voice spoke behind the group, "I doubt it, we couldn't get much information out of them when they got back to Earth. We tried though, Zorome hounded your father for a few weeks." Hiyatsu turned around and saw one of her former teachers and a family friend, Miku.

Miku walked over to the table where the group was seated.

Hiyatsu smiled and motioned for her to sit down, "what are you doing here Miku?" she said.

Miku spoke as she sat down, "I was going to finish up my curriculum for the upcoming school year with Zorome but he forgot to show up. Probably slacking off, I swear he is so lazy sometimes it makes me want to scream," Miku folded her arms. She sat there quietly for a moment and Hiyatsu knew that she was planning some revenge on Zorome for not showing up. After Miku brought herself back to the present she spoke to the group, "Ai, Hana, Kaito, and Hiyatsu, I'm surprised to see you together in a Library. You were never this studious when you were in my class," she faked a scowl then laughed.

Ai suddenly stood up and pointed to her friends, "don't lump me in with these three Ms. Miku, I was very studious," Hiyatsu laughed at Ai's sudden outburst. She was never one to understand jokes. Ai quickly shot a glance over to Hiyatsu who was trying to hide her laugh with her hand.

Ai was about to go after Hiyatsu when Hana interrupted and said, "She knows that Ai."

Miku nodded, "any way you were saying something about getting information from your parents about the Great War? May I ask what you need help with?" Hiyatsu shifted in her seat trying to decide exactly how much she was willing to tell her former teacher. While she was still debating in her mind Miku began to rummage through some of the papers on the table.

Miku leafed through the papers she had picked up before setting them back down in a pile. She looked back over to Hiyatsu and asked again, "Is there anything you wanted to ask?"

Hiyatsu cleared her throat and said, "Can you tell us more about the Jian and what its meaning is?"

Miku stared at her for a moment, "What its meaning is? You know what it is through right?"

Hiyatsu nodded her head, "yeah I was just telling everyone what my mom and dad used to say."

Miku turned her attention back to the table, "then why ask for its meaning? Did you find something and are researching it?" She started to mumble to herself like she was trying to find an answer. He attention was caught by the book at the center of the table.

Miku loved old books and would often be distracted by them. She reached for the old book and said, "Oh, what's this book you have Hiyatsu? It's very old and it doesn't look like it's from the Library. Let's see the title is Klaxo Sapien History..." her voice trailed off a bit and her eyes narrowed as she read the rest silently. Miku flipped towards the middle of the book and ran her finger down the page. She stopped at a section and Hiyatsu could see her attempting to read the Klaxo Sapien language. "Where did you get this book?"

Hiyatsu was surprised by the sudden change in the tone of her voice, Miku normally had a cheery disposition, at least when talking with her students, but Hiyatsu could tell there was something on her mind. Deciding that telling Miku about the book wouldn't be a bad thing she cautiously told Miku about her interaction with the shopkeeper. Hiyatsu didn't feel the need to talk about the dreams just yet so she left them out of the discussion.

Miku closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "I find it odd that you would happen to come across one of the only remaining texts from the Klaxo Sapiens, especially since this is something the Academy had been looking for. I don't mean to pry but why have you taken an interest in the Klaxo Sapiens?"

Kaito quickly spoke for the group, "No particular reason, Hiyatsu had the book and we found some interesting things like the bird in the poem. We were trying to figure it out and Hiya brought up the Jian. We were just about to go look for research about it."

Miku stared him down like a teacher trying to see if a student had actually done their homework. She finally spoke, "Uh-huh, well I may have some idea about the Jian but let me read this passage in the book first."

Miku was about to read the page when they hear a loud voice shout across the Library, "There you are!" Miku stopped and turned her head towards the noise, fire flashed in her eyes. She turned back to the group and the fire in her eyes was gone. Hiyatsu marveled at the speed in which Miku's angry rose and fell when it came to Zorome. "We will talk about this later after I deal with Zorome. I'm not mad just worried about you getting involved in something over your head," she said pleasantly. Ai and Hana exchanged concerned glances while Kaito laughed and Hiyatsu lowered her head.

Zorome came proudly marching over to the table, "Good afternoon kiddo," he said to Hiyatsu. Zorome was one of their teachers and a good friend to their parents. He had unruly light brown hair and was generally known to be brash. There was a rumor around school that Miku and Zorome were together but the pair denied it. He greeted the other kids in a similar fashion before he turned his attention to Miku.

He was about to greet her when she suddenly exploded, "Where have you been, I have been waiting for over an hour."

Zorome's demeanor changed and he didn't back down, "Well I have been looking for you for over two hours!"

Hiyatsu smiled, Zorome and Miku were known to quarrel over the slightest details. They both also tried to best each other in every argument.

Miku stood up and almost headbutted Zorome, "Yeah well now we will have to work twice as hard to get our work done. To bad for you because we can't go get that food you wanted!"

Zorome took a step closer. "Well it's not like you needed it anyway," he quipped.

Miku poked him in the stomach, "Look who's talking, pudgy." The two turned and stood with their backs facing each other.

Hana looked at the two adults, "Excuse me, but why are you so concerned about the book Miku?"

"What book, let me see!" Zorome yelled as he grabbed the book from Miku's hand.

He began to rifle through the pages, "What's so strange about this book? Looks to be older than you."

Miku, ignoring his comment, said, "It's not the book but the information in the book, It has some Klaxo language in this."

Zorome eyes lit up, "This is perfect! She was looking for something like this!"

Miku shot him a glance, "Don't bring that up in public you know that."

Zorome winced as she tried to hit him, "Oh sorry, yeah I forgot." He turned to the group and said, "Hey forget I said anything."

Miku shook her head, "I swear you will be the death of me." Zorome placed the book down and put a hand on her shoulder. Hiyatsu saw a brief flash of pink, streak across Miku's face. "Hey Miku, don't say that. You'd miss me too much," he laughed and flashed a big smile.

Miku gently moved his hand from her shoulder, lightly squeezing it, "that might be true but still we have to keep her research quiet, you know it's not allowed," she said.

"Look who's blabbing now," Zorome pointed to the group, "and in front of the kids too."

Miku let out a small yelp and hit Zorome on the back of the head, "Look what you made me do, now fix this!"

He reached for the back of his head, "why does this always fall to me," he said while rubbing his head. Zorome bowed towards the kids, "seriously, please forget about what we said a moment ago." The group smiled and told their teachers that they would not speak of it again, but they all knew that this person would be a discussion topic for a later time.

Miku spoke to the group, "Anyway let's get back to what we were talking about. I'll read the passage and we can talk about it. It'll be like when you were in my class." She laughed as she grabbed the book and sat down. Zorome sat down beside her and peered over her shoulder to read the book. Hiyatsu and the other kids waited for what felt like an hour for Miku to finish reading the passage. They were eager to get some information that might lead them in the right direction. Miku closed the book and meet the expectant eyes of the children. She took a moment to organize her thoughts and then spoke.

"Since Hiyatsu has already told you the mythological story regarding the Jian I will skip that part. That origin will play a vital role in understanding this passage. Now moving on to the passage itself, it looks like it's a type of prophecy. But I am not sure if this is a prophecy about what will occur or if it has already been fulfilled." She turned to look at Hiyatsu, "if you look at your parent's relationship you could say that they fit the story of the Jian and by extension fit the lines about the bird. Just think about your history classes and how the Klaxo Sapiens had driven off VRIM the first time. You could logically think that this was a prophecy about your parents defeating VIRM again."

Zorome interjected, "yeah I'd say they were like the Jian, you couldn't separate those two once they were together."Miku stared at Zorome and he stopped.

She continued, "You see when we were younger for awhile Hiro was our leader, then he changed, at the time we didn't know why but we learned later on about an incident between your mother and father." Miku looked like she was remembering some dark pain, and Zorome inched closer to her and his presence calmed her down a little. She spoke again, "Needless to say after that he was different like something was missing. But when the two were reunited he gained his old self back."

Hiyatsu look at Miku, "why bring this up?" she said.

Miku paused and said, "It's because of the line 'It rises from the ashes in a new form' this is your parent's relationship. That's why I think this was referring to your parents."

Hiyatsu thought about this for a moment, she had never given thought to this before. Were her parents the subject of this passage? What about the next lines about the 'new bird coming'? What incident was she referring too and why did it cause her so much pain? These thoughts flew around her head making it difficult to keep her thought straight.

Hana looked over at Hiyatsu and could tell that something was bothering her. Guessing it partly had to do with the incident Miku referred, she decided that she would ask Miku and Zorome what they meant mostly out of concern for her friend but also out of pure curiosity. "What incident are you talking about?" Everyone stopped and looked at Hana. Hiyatsu wondered at this courage from Hana, she wasn't one to step in and ask questions like that. She was also glad that someone noticed that she was troubled by the news.

Miku and Zorome looked at each other, then the group and finally Hiyatsu, "It would be better to hear that from your parents. But that's all we are going to say on that matter."

Hana said, "Is it really that bad that you won't tell us?" Miku's eyes shifted to the ground and she didn't say anything.

Zorome's face was stern as he said, "Yes it was."

The mood shifted at his words, the air felt colder and weighed on the minds of the group. No one said anything for a few minutes, Hiyatsu was stuck in her mind trying to come up with some terrible incident that befell her parents. As the air hung, Kaito seeing that his friends were saddened and tried to change the mood.

"What do you think of the black hand referenced in the text?" Everyone stirred from their silence. Hiyatsu shot him a glance urging him to not pursue the topic too much further. Ai and Hana straightened up. Kaito then realized that he may have made things worse by bringing up a topic like that.

Miku thought for a moment, "A Black Hand? I didn't see anything referenced in the passage."

Kaito nervously laughed, "in the translation notes I meant.," he stammered through the words.

Miku read through the translation notes, "Daevirmon, hmm. I'm not sure what I think. I know a bit the history about the Klaxo Sapiens but not enough to know how to use the translations. Aside from your parents who might know more, I'd say the one who has the most knowledge about them would be Ikuno, you may want to try her at some point. Especially if you don't get anything from your parents."

Kaito shifted in his chair, "that might be difficult since she is out with my father doing some collecting," he said, "but they should be back soon, they have been out for some time."

The group continued to talk about different ideas around the passage and how it all fit together. After about an hour Zorome stood up, "Honestly just go talk with Ikuno, she's got loads of information on the Klaxo Sapiens. She needed it to help us stop aging so she has to have some information on their language." He motioned to Miku that they needed to leave.

"Sorry everyone, we need to go to the Academy to present our plans for the year and someone hasn't finished yet," Miku said while standing from the chair. They all looked at Zorome who shrugged and said, "What, I, the Great Zorome, always gets his work done."

Miku shoved him towards the door. "Come on Great Bonehead," she said, "let's get to work." The pair waved goodbye to the group and headed towards the front of the Library. They were laughing and walking very close to one another. As they left the Library, Hiyatsu could see Miku and Zorome walking hand in hand.

As Hiyatsu watched the pair leave, Kaito turned to Ai and Hana, "still no closer to what is going on, but we have some leads. We should," he was cut off by his phone ringing. Kaito quickly picked up his phone and answered, "Hello? Oh Hi, Mom...Yeah, I'm at the library...No I haven't heard from Dad yet...What do you mean?...yeah I got it...are you sure that's ok?...they did?...ok got it I'll be home soon." He hung up the phone and looked pale.

"What's wrong?" Hana asked. Kaito looked down at the table, "Dad left a message asking for some more provisions for his trip. Apparently, he is stuck south of the city on the outskirts of a town named Jerrah. She wants me to go bring him the provisions."

Hana looked at Ai, "How far away is that?"

"25 leagues from the edge of town so about a three day's journey," Kaito replied.

"I hope you aren't going alone," Ai said, "we don't need you to go and die on us."

Kaito laughed, "of course I'm not going alone. You are all coming with me."


	4. The Adventure Begins

Hey everyone sorry for the delay. Chapter 4 and 5 were originally going to be one single chapter but life got away from me so I split them into these two. Hope you enjoy. Chapter 5 might be a bit since I am going to write a short Zoromiku story so be on the lookout for that.

* * *

"What do you mean we are going with you?" Hiyatsu asked. Kaito laughed, "you heard me. Mom wants us to go for some reason. Apparently, she's already cleared it with your parents," he said as he pointed to Ai, Hana, and Hiyatsu. The girls looked at each other in disbelief.

"Seriously? This is a pain," Ai retorted," I have better things to do than travel around the countryside with you guys."

Kaito shrugged and began to pack up his belongings. "She sounded like it was urgent, so we should probably get out of here. I guess Dad and Ikuno seemed pretty short on supplies. Mom also mentioned something about bringing some things back but I really didn't listen," he said as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

Hiyatsu, with the help of Ai and Hana, started to pick up the papers on the table. As they finished putting the papers into Hiyatsu's bag Hana said, "Hey Hiyatsu, why don't we bring the book with us? Ikuno is going to be there and Miku suggested we talk to her about it."

Hiyatsu nodded in agreement, "Not a bad idea, plus it'll give us something to read on the trip." Hana smiled at the thought of using the book as light reading. "Well we should get out of here," Kaito said, "Meet at my house in one hour. Go home and pack a bag." The girls nodded and went home.

On her way home Hiyatsu couldn't help but wonder why they had to go on this trip. Normally this would be handled by one of the Shipping Guilds, especially since Jerrurh was the second largest city in the area.

 _Since the Shipping Guilds aren't involved is this something that needed secrecy?_

She hurried home while trying to push the thoughts out of her mind. "I'll probably find out what is going on once I get over to Kaito's house," she said aloud. "For now I need to figure out what I am even going to pack." She was creating a mental list of things she might need as she entered her house. As Hiyatsu entered the house she was greeted by her parents with a bag already packed for the trip.

Zero Two handed Hiyatsu the packed bag, "Ichigo called earlier. She let us know that she needed to send you and your friends to find Goro. We have some experience in the wild and thought that you wouldn't mind getting some help packing."

Hiyatsu placed her bag containing the old book down and, with the new bag in hand, sat down on the couch before opening the pack to check the contents. She emptied the bag onto the couch and found: clothes, simple provisions, rope, a hunting knife, flares, and a fire starting kit. She looked up at her parents, "Where did you get this stuff?" she asked.

Hiro smiled and said, "These were some of the things used when we got back from the VIRM home planet. We had to survive out in the wilderness a bit before we could regroup with everyone and start the city foundations."

Hiyatsu put everything back into the bag, with enough room for her book, and got up from the couch. She walked over to where her parents were standing and, bending down, placed the bag on the floor.

As she did this Zero Two let out a small whimper. Hiyatsu stood up quickly to face her mother and was shocked to see a few tears rolling down her cheek. "Mom are you okay?" she asked hesitantly.

Zero Two looked away and wiped the tears from her eyes. Looking back at her daughter she said, "I don't want you to get hurt, my Darling, please be careful. The world is a tougher place than you know."

Hiyatsu smiled, "Don't worry Mom. I can take care of myself."

Hiro placed a hand on Zero Two's shoulder, squeezing it slightly to reassure her that their daughter would be alright.

Hiyatsu moved in closer to her parents and embraced them for a while. As the three of them held each other close Hiyatsu suddenly remembered the old operation manual of the Franxx unit. Not knowing why she thought about it, or why she suddenly felt the need for it, she let go of her parents and raced upstairs to her bedroom to search for the book.

As she reached her desk and grabbed the old manual, Hiyatsu decided that she would need to bring a few more items with her on the trip. Hiyatsu strolled over to a small cedar chest in the corner of her room and opened it up. Inside there was all manner of tools of the trade as she liked to refer to them, this was her stash of mischief-making materials.

She took out a spool of fishing line, a handful of eye hooks, two latches, a quick release pin, and some adhesive tape. Hiyatsu rummaged through more items in the chest but did not find anything that would suit her adventure.

She ran towards her bedroom door but stopped before exiting. "I should grab something to protect myself and that can be used for survival," she said while looking around. Her eyes fixed on the shovel that was still oddly in her room. Hiyatsu ran over to the shovel, "this will come in handy," she said as she dashed out of her room.

Hiyatsu bounded down the stairs and over to her pack on the floor. She placed all the things from her room, with the exception of the shovel, into the bag her parents had packed. Next, she went over to the bag near the front door and took out the old text to place in her bag. Her parents seeing the book for the first time tried to get some information about it but were unsuccessful.

All Hiyatsu would say on the matter was that "It was for research for a project' and that they didn't need to worry about anything. Hiyatsu placed the text and the Franxx manual into the bag. Finally finished packing she stood up, put the pack on her back and secured the shovel to the top.

Hiyatsu turned and hugged her parents one final time, "I love you so much," she said with tears streaming down her face.

"We love you too," they both said holding her tightly. She stepped towards the door, took a deep breath and left her home.

It was nearly dusk by the time Hiyatsu made her way to Kaito's house. Running up to the front of the house she could see that all the others had already assembled outside and were waiting for her.

Ai and Hana looked like the had packs that were stuffed to the brim and were two sizes too large for them.

Kaito had his pack down on the ground and was adding some last minute items to its pouches. She could see Ichigo standing proudly next to her son as he fidgeted with his pack.

Hearing the rattling of Hiyatsu's pack Kaito looked up from his pack and shouted: "Hey Hiya, Mom needs to tell us something so hurry up."

Hiyatsu increased her speed and quickly ran up to where the group was standing.

Ichigo cleared her throat, "Now that you are all here I can explain this mission. My husband and a good friend of ours have traveled to the city of Jerrurh to gather some materials for a project that I have been overseeing. They have been gone longer than expected and we received a call from them requesting some provisions and for additional manpower. Since this project is off the radar we need to send people we can trust. This also provides you with an opportunity to see the outside world and prepare you in the event that you may need to leave this city for good. Ultimately your goal is to reach Goro, deliver the supplies and retrieve our good friend."

Ai raised her hand and asked, "A few questions. How long of a journey is it to Goro's most recent location? Also, why would we need to leave this city for good? Since VIRM was defeated any threat should be handled by the government, correct? Is there a new threat that has the government worried? Has there…" she was stopped by Ichigo.

"I was speaking hypothetically Ai. Currently, there is no indication of a threat but that does not mean we shouldn't be prepared for one to occur. As for the length of the trip, it should be about three days. Has that satisfied your curiosity?"

Ai nodded her head.

"Good, let's continue. Let me provide you with a map of the area and general directions to Jerrurh." She handed Kaito an envelope, it had no writing on it but the back was sealed with the government crest.

Kaito gave his mom a puzzled look and said: "So then this is sanctioned by the government?"

Ichigo shook her head, "Not exactly, I called in some favors that were owed to me."

"Favors?" asked Hana, "why wouldn't the government want to help you and Goro?"

Ichigo sighed, "As I said the project we are working on is off the radar. Plus we aren't allowed to utilize children for these types of missions, they tend to get messy and you don't have combat training."

The group stared at Ichigo for a long time.

Finally, Hiyatsu spoke up, "should we expect some resistance?" Ichigo held each child in her gaze for a moment. She had a thoughtful look on her face when she finally turned to Hiyatsu, "The world is different than what you have experience in the city. The New Government has purposefully banned weapons and guards from entering the city but they are quite commonplace in the rest of the region. Goro's location is far enough outside of Jerrurh that you shouldn't run into any trouble."

This did little to reassure Hiyatsu.

Ichigo resumed giving instructions to the group, "head to the Southern Gate transport dock and give this envelope to the Transport Controller; she should have a transport waiting for you with the provisions already loaded and a pilot lined up to fly you to your destination."

The group let out a collective breath, each was worried that they would have to fly the transport on their own.

Ichigo continued, "the transport will also have some provisions for you to help you on your trip. Please take care of yourselves on the way there." Ichigo walked over to Kaito and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I will miss you Kaito, please don't get into too much trouble." She waved to the rest of the group and went back into the house.

Kaito came down to join the rest of the group. "I guess we should get going," he said. Hiyatsu nodded.

Ai grabbed the map from Kaito and after studying it for a bit pointed in the direction of the Southern Gate. The group walked side-by-side down the winding streets as lights blinked inside homes as the sun began to set. For a time no one spoke, each thinking about a different piece of information from Ichigo.

Hiyatsu focused on the words "combat training" and why Ichigo would bring that up. Hiyatsu ran through multiple scenarios where she would need to fight. Each one however, ending in disaster. She shook her head and tried to think about something else.

A warm breeze began to blow and it started to lift the spirits of the group. Eventually, they could be heard laughing and singing on their way to the Southern Gate.

After some time they came upon the main road that ran through a large double arch built into the city wall. The stone arch was split into to sections, one for entering and one for exiting the city, and each were large enough that two transports could fit through side-by-side. Each archway was further separated into two lanes, one for people on foot or with carts and the other for transports.

As the Southern Gate came into view Hiyatsu could see a staging area that housed many vehicles that were being loaded and unloaded.

Ai pointed to the staging area and said, "that appears to be our destination. Let's head over that way and ask for the Transport Controller."

The group nodded and quickly walked over to the staging area.

The crowd began to thicken as they approached. "Ai, do we even know what this person is supposed to look like," asked Hiyatsu, "it's not like we can just stop a random person and ask 'Hey, where is the Transport Controller?' they would bring attention to us."

Hana spoke up "what if we ask a guard. There is one next to those boxes." She pointed over to a large stack of boxes a few feet from them. A man stood motionlessly next to the boxes equipped with a quarterstaff and wearing some light armor.

"Well he certainly looks like a guard," laughed Kaito, "he doesn't look too busy. Let's go ask him."

The man was a member of the Guard Core which was mostly relegated to the outer wall and city defense. The inner city was under the jurisdiction of the Peace Keepers and as such the kids had never seen a member of the Guard Core before this day.

They made their way over to the man and he made no move to acknowledge the group. He stood resolute and continued to watch the crowd.

Hana stepped forward and was about to say something when the man spoke.

"Can I help you?' he asked without looking at them.

Hana nervously responded, "Are you able to tell us where we might find the Transport Controller?"

"The what now?" He said sharply. Hana began to ask again but before she could finish the guard shouted, "You there stop," and ran off.

"I'm sorry about that," a voice said behind them, "he's new and takes the job way too seriously." They all turned to see a man in similar armor holding two water bottles. "I went off to get some water for us and I asked him to remain alert." The man walked over to the boxes and placed the water bottles down. He turned back to the kids and sighed, "and as you can see was too busy finding non existent trouble instead of helping out the citizens who have questions."

Hiyatsu bowed and said, 'No don't worry about it."

The man stopped Hiyatsu. "Nonsene, let me help you out. Now you said something about finding the Transport Controller?"

They all shook their heads. "Do you know where she is," Hana asked.

"Makoto Hara?" He laughed. "It's hard to say where she will be, but, you could try that building over there. It's the admin building and overlooks the docks. She's a wild one so mind your manners with her."

As he was saying this he motioned to the building behind him. Hiyatsu could see that it jutted out from the otherwise smooth rock face of the arches.

Kaito puzzled by the mans' words asked: "Mind our manners?"

The man laughed again, "Nothing to be worried about. If she is in one of her moods you will see soon enough. Anyway, you should get going before she decides to call it a day and head home."

The group thanked him and pushed their way through the crowd towards the administration building.

Upon entering the building they were greeted by a man sitting behind a large counter that was adjacent to the door. Hiyatsu could see a few plants and chairs in the otherwise empty lobby.

"Good evening children, is there something I can help you with."

Kaito stepped forward with the envelope in hand. "Yes, we came to see if Ms. Hara was here, my mother would like me to give this letter to her."

The man looked at the envelope and then at Kaito. "Oh so you're Ichigo's son, she let us know you would be stopping by…" he was cut off by a booming voice coming from above them.

"What do ya mean there is a delay with the shipment? This was supposed ta be taken care of weeks ago. I swear if I need to come down there someone's head is gonna roll!" There were a few moments of silence before they heard what they could only describe as an explosion.

Moments later a woman appeared coming from the stairs at the end of the hall. She hurried past the front counter and shouted: "Erto I'm headed out if Ichigo's boy shows up send him to my office."

Erto tried to tell her that Kaito and his group were already there but she was gone.

"Poor soul," he shook his head, "The paperwork for this is going to be a nightmare. Hopefully, she doesn't go too crazy this time." He looked up at the stunned kids and smiled, "Don't worry it's not like she's going to literally make a head roll. Anyway, you heard her so go on up to her office. Go up the stairs and take a left. Follow the hallway and it'll lead you right to her office."

The group did as they were told and walked up the stairs and towards Makoto's office. The second floor was more decorated than the first. Paintings were hung on the wall and the red carpeting gave a very regal feel. The walls were a cream color and the same red as the carpeting was on the trim. At the end of the hallway was a large Mahogany door with a bright brass handle.

Hiyatsu pushed open the door to reveal an office very different from what she expected. As the group stepped in they could see a large window overlooking the loading docks with a large oak desk in the middle of the room. There were a few chairs but most of the furniture was all smashed to bits.

Kaito pointed to a spot on the wall and said, "That one looks fresh, probably what we heard while in the lobby." The group nodded in agreement and decided that they would heed the words of the guard and behave themselves.

After an hour Makoto returned. She entered her office with as much bravado as she had when she stormed off earlier. Makoto Hara was a strong woman with striking features. She had grease smeared on her face and wore overalls with work boots. Despite this she was still quite beautiful, she had a soft face and long brunette hair. She was often chased by men but they quickly learned that she wasn't the type you chased. On one occasion a particular man tried to corner her at the bar and take her home. He was later found in the alleyway behind the building with a black eye and a broken nose.

"Good! Yer here," she said as she clapped Kaito on the shoulder. Hiyatsu laughed when he winced at the weight of her hand. "I was expecting ya sooner. Do some sightseein' on yer way here?" She gave him a strong pat on the back and it nearly crumpled him. "Not much too ya I see," she laughed heartily.

Kaito gathered himself and said, "considering that my Mom called you, you must know why we are here." He handed the letter to Makoto. She nodded, took the letter, and walked over to her desk.

Makoto sat down at her desk and motioned to the chairs behind them. "Bring 'em here," she said, "sit down we gotta talk a bit. But first give me yer names" When the kids had taken their seats and given their names she opened the letter from Ichigo. "Now what do we have here. Let's see...ok...yeah…" She spent a few minutes reading the letter while making similar noises. Finally, she let out a sigh, "Any you kids know how to fly a rig?"

The group gave her a confused look in answer of her question.

"A Transport ya city folk," she gave a hearty laugh. She then thoughtfully looked at them for a moment before saying, "buncha greenfoots? Where does she get these ideas? I swear."

Hiyatsu and Ai shared a confused glance. Ai spoke up, "Why can't we get a pilot for our trip?"

"There ain't none," Makoto responded, "last one got sent out with the shipment ya heard me shouting 'bout. So, one of ya is gonna need to learn to operate one of these things fast."

Hana raised her hand, "is it hard to fly a rig?"

Makoto shook her head "Naw they are just big, an' their controls ain't that complicated either. I'll show ya what I mean." With that, she stood up and motioned for the kids to follow her out of the office.

They walked down to the loading dock where Makoto took them to an old skiff that had been set aside for training and light transport. The hull was slightly rusting and had a large electric engine on the back. Makoto brought the kids over and beamed with pride.

"This little beaut' is a personal project of mine. She was nothin' but a husk and had no power source. Made the power source all by myself. Took an old electric engine an' fitted a solar panel on one side and a wheel attached to the back that drags on the ground to generate electricity."

She continued explaining the ins and outs of the engine much to Ai's delight.

When Makoto finished her lecture she told the group to get ready to try out piloting the skiff. "We need to get one of ya up to speed fast and throwin' ya in the deep end is the best solution to that. Ai, you seemed the most attentive so get up there and give her a spin."

Makoto said this as she threw Ai into the cockpit. Hiyatsu could see that Ai was extremely nervous and evidently, Makoto could as well. After a few seconds Makoto shook her head, "sorry hun, ya don't look like a pilot. Come on down," which Ai did with great speed, "Up next is Kaito."

When Kaito's turn ended much the same as Ai's did Makoto sighed, "An' yer father is such a good pilot, Hoped it was a natural thing." Next, she turned her attention to Hana, before Hana could even think about getting into the cockpit Makoto stopped her and said, "Yer just plain too scared to fly this thing." Hana did not argue this point. "Looks like you are up Hiyatsu."

Hiyatsu jumped into the skiff and sat down at the controls. Much to her surprise, she felt right at home among the various knobs and buttons that dotted the front dash. She ran her hands over the controls until she came across a red push switch. Hiyatsu pushed it in and the skiff sprang to life. Makoto laughed and shouted, "good now put your foot on the right pedal and slowly push it down!"

Hiyatsu did as she was told and the skiff began to slowly move forward. Makoto jumped up on the moving skiff and told the other kids to meet them over at another dock and said to Hiyatsu, "I'll let ya drive over to the dock but follow my directions exactly."

Makoto put Hiyatsu through an extensive piloting course in the short amount of time they were together. Hiyatsu seemed to be a natural and she loved every second of it. She felt almost connected to the skiff like it was an extension of her body. She maneuvered with ease to the loading dock.

While she was getting out Makoto announced to the group, "We found yer pilot! Hiyatsu reminds me of myself in my younger days." Kaito leaned over to Hana and whispered, "Does that mean Hiya's gonna grow up to be like her?" Hana and Kaito both laughed.

Once Makoto and Hiyatsu got out of the skiff workers came over to load it up with the provisions Ichigo had provided. As they did this Makoto pulled the kids aside to tell them about what Ichigo had written in the letter. "Now yer Mom wanted me to tell you kids to be on the lookout fer a group that goes by the name of Apollo's Hammer. They have been causing some trouble in the parts yer traveling too. She also wanted to remind you to not stop out in the wilderness if at all possible."

The kids nodded and agreed to be mindful of these things.

She continued "She also wanted the pilot to make for the town of Helio, 'parently she's got some friends there that will help ya out."

As she was finishing up a dockworker came up and whispered into Makoto's ear. She nodded and said, "Alright they are done with the loadin' now. Head over and I'll get ya on yer way."

The group got into the skiff, which sat all four comfortably, and started to up the transport. Hiyatsu turned some knobs and flipped a few switches to make sure that the transport would handle smoothly, she wasn't sure what it did but she remember Makoto pointing out them during her brief training. Makoto waved them into a shipping lane and walked up to Hiyatsu.

"Now just follow this here lane until ya'll get out from under the arch. Guards won't give ya no trouble neither since yer Transport ID is already ok'd by me. Ya'll stay safe and tell me about yer trip when ya get back." Makoto extended her hand.

Hiyatsu smiled as she shook the woman's hand, "We will. Don't you worry."

Hiyatsu brought the skiff through her shipping lane and through the last checkpoint. As they passed under the large arches the group found themselves on the outskirts of the city and heading towards their destination. As they sped along Hiyatsu peered into the rearview mirror and watched as Nova Aeries faded into a small speck in her vision.


End file.
